Quarantine Spring

In mid-March, the Coronavirus hit the U.S., and we all went into lockdown for about two months. Without being able to get out, that left us to entertain ourselves mostly inside. Thankfully, it was spring so the weather was nice enough for us to go for walks and get into nature a bit.

School was cancelled, so Jackson did e-learning every day, including a weekly video conference with his class. 

Brandon and I had weekly date nights, which usually consisted of getting takeout from a restaurant (since all the dining rooms were closed), and playing a game or doing some other activity together. These nights were my favorite part of quarantine. In normal life, we're often busy with other things and even though we spend a lot of time together, it's not dedicated "date" time. I loved it.

We've been finishing up home projects, including the tile and trim on the front porch. With all the wood-working done, I finally felt comfortable putting my white rug down in the living room. It's finally complete!

I've been trying to spend time outside every day, which usually means a walk. One day, I even drove to my favorite neighborhood - Highland Park - and enjoyed the view while walking. One of my favorite parts of spring is the blossoming trees, so walking has been a great way to enjoy those, too.

Most of the parks were open, so we did venture out to Fort Harrison State Park and Eagle Creek Park a few times to walk and fish.

We got a fire pit for the backyard, so we spent a couple evenings out back.

The week before Easter, we spotted a mouse in our kitchen. We set out traps, but over the next couple of weeks it taunted us - appearing every once in a while but evading capture. Brandon even had his BB gun ready to shoot should it show its face. Eventually, though, it stopped showing up. Since we never found it in the house, we assume the stray cat outside must have gotten to it.

We've been working on the yard- planting flowers and a garden. Brandon and Jackson also decorated a birdhouse to set up in the backyard.

Jackson and I practiced our drawing skills with sidewalk chalk. He got a learn-to-draw book for Easter, so we practiced drawing the animals from the book and named each one.

Jackson also got Jenga for Easter, so we've played that a few times. He's realized, though, that the blocks can serve many purposes in play - he's enjoyed setting up dominos patterns and building forts for his Lego guys. He even spelled out Esselborn with blocks!

Even though life hasn't been the same during quarantine, we're very blessed to all still be healthy and still have jobs. We have a great house to spend our time in, and we've enjoyed the extra time together. We're ready to get back out in the world, though!